Parlor base-ball game.



J. STRAUB.

PARLOR BASE BALL GAME.

APPLICATION FILED D2017. 1914 1,129,613. Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

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PABLOR BASE-BALL GAME.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 23, 1915.

Application filed December 17,1914. Serial No. 877,69;

To all whom'it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACQUES STBAUB, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented an Improvement in Parlor Base-Ball Games, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to a parlor baseball game which is played by the delivery of a missile onto .a board-representing the playing field and in which the va rious features of the ordinary baseball game are reproduced in a mannerwell calculated to afford amusement without danger to surrounding articles.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates my invention and shows in detail the special featuresthereof, Figure 1'is a plan view of the playing board. Fig. 2 is a detail vertical section through one side thereof substantially on line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the missile discharging lever; Fig. 4 is a verticalsection throng the catapult including the missile discharge lever. Fig. .5 is aplan view of a catch net for use as hereinafter described, and Fig. 6 is a similar view of a striker for the discharge lever in --the form of a miniature baseball bat. 1

Referring nowjto these figures, my invention essentially comprises a playing board A as particularly shown in Figs. 1 and 2 and a catapult B, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the latter of which includes a block B one end of which is beveled and upon the top of which isintermediately pivoted at b, a semifiexible discharging lever B. The forward end of this lever as will be particularly seen in Fig. 1, extends over the beveled end of the block B, and'the rear end of the lever has a central opening in which may be seated a missile G comprising a substantially spherical body having a spur 0 extending from one side and feathers c projecting from a point diametrically opposite to the spur whereby to present the spur downwardly at all times and cause the same to enter the surface of the board A when discharged thereon.

The missile C disposed on the lever in the manner described, and shown in Fig. 4, is discharged by striking the free opposite end of the lever with a striking implement D which is preferably in the form of a miniature baseball bat, and, when in some cases discharged beyond the limits. of the board A, the missile may be caught in an impleinner square a fabric or other cover A the sides of which are drawn down upon the sides of the body A and secured thereto by a surrounding strip A the. upper edge of which projects substantially above the surface of the body A to form a surrounding rim.

Upon the body A of the board, or more particularly upon its cover A'-,is'laid out an leaving a surrounding border a and within this square a re resenting the limits of the playing field, an at one corner thereof, is formed a diamond (1. the remainder'of the area within theplaying field and around this diamond being provided v,with a plurality of circles a and half-cirles a provided with numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4, re'

spectively, designating their values in num bers of bases, certain of these circles being distinguished by different colors and the like, as shown at at representing the normal positions of the out fielders which, like the infielders disposed in semi-circles a grouped around the diamond a are in the form of buttons or miniature figures a 'which may be'moved to other circles or semi-circles if desired by the player controlling the field positions. A plurality of squares a are also distributed between certain of the circles a. somewhat adjacent to the diamond a for a purpose to be hereinafter described.

At the center of the diamond a is a square 0 indicating the pitchers position and adjacent thereto are circles a indicating sacrifice h1ts.

The border a surrounding the playing field a is also divided off, adjacent the diamond a into sections a, a, and 0. the sections'a lying in the extreme corner of the board and denoting cuts, the sections a extending partially along the adjacent sides of the'diamond a and denoting strikes, and the sections a extending opposite the adjacent corners of the diamond and also denoting outs, it being noted that the entire remainder of the border a along the adjacent sides of the board A are denoted fouls and along the two other sides of the board are denoted strikes.

In playing the game the catapult B is placed upon any suitable support adjacent the corner of the board in which the diamond a is located, and the players take turns at operating the same, the other player in each instance'standing at the relatively opposite side of the board with the catching implement E to receive those missiles discharged beyond the limits of the board;

Various rules for the playing may be adopted from time to time. It is intended, though, that where the missile falls Within any of the circles a or semi-circle a of the playing field, the player advances a number of bases corresponding to the numbers upon such circles and semi-circles, with the exception of those circles in which the buttons a, indicating the outfielders, are placed, and which denote outs as are similarly denoted by the semi-circles a in which the buttons a are located denoting the infielders. It is to be understood,however, that the positions of these buttons may be changed when desired or found expedient by the ability of either of the players to deliver the missile in a particular part of the playing field. The squares a denote not only outs, as is denoted When the missile descends into the playing field between the several squares and cii'cles,'but also denote double plays, if a runner is at that time on the bases, these runnners being indicated by disks, buttons or other pieces which I have not attempted to show.

In the counting of strikes, fouls, and balls, the rules of the regular game are adhered to, the latter being denoted by the space a between the double lines surrounding the diamond a i It is to be understood, of course, that the materials of which the various parts are made, as well as their particular shape, may be changed as desired, and that the rules of play may be varied when found expedient in order to increase the interest and stimulate the ability of the opposing players.

I claim i l. A baseball game comprising the combination of a playing board forming the playing field, the surface of which is divided into a plurality of divisions having their values denoted thereon, a catapu lt and a missile for discharge from the catapult onto the playing board, said missile having a spur adapted to enter the surface a of the playing board and maintain the missile immobile at the point of contact.

2. A baseball game comprising the combination of a playing board having a. relatively soft checkered surface, a catapult separate from and freely adjustable with respect to, the playing board, and a missile for discharge from the catapult, having means adapted to enter the comparatively soft surface of the playing board whereby to render the missile immobile at the point of contact with the board.

JACQUES STRAUB.

\Vi tuesses ERNEST RULIsHAUsER, JOHN N. KRAJCI. 

